Sunday
Morning Bible Study
January
3, 2016
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it address the person who is: Empty, lonely, guilty, or afraid
to die? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk
– Meat – Manna Preach for a decision Is the church loved? Regular: 2900 words
Communion: 2500 words Video=75wpm
One of the building blocks that goes into making a Calvary Chapel has to do
with a firm belief that we are indeed in the last days.
Every year I like to take a Sunday to give us a moment to stop and realize
where we are in the scheme of history.
I remember going down to Calvary
Chapel Costa Mesa on New Year’s Eve to listen to Pastor Chuck talk about the
things that were happening in the world.
When we planted the church in 1994,
we decided we would carry on the same tradition. I no longer do this message on New Year’s
Eve, but have moved it to Sunday morning so more of you could hear.
My intent is never to make “predictions”, but to simply discern the events
around us in the news and how they line up with prophecy.
Jesus rebuked the Pharisees because they prided themselves in their weather
predictions…
(Matthew 16:3 NKJV)
…Hypocrites!
You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the
signs of the times.
We don’t want to be guilty of predicting the weather but not understanding the
times we are in.
I do believe we are in the last days before Jesus comes back. I have seven things to consider…
My preparation used to consist of
collecting newspaper clippings from the previous year, but things are much
easier now. Who even reads a
newspaper? All you have to do is search
the internet. I will also make copies of
news items I see through the year.
Some years are harder than others
to prepare. This year there is simply so
much to share that I will leave much on the “cutting room floor” and just give
you what I see as the highlights.
(1) Israel
Above all others, this is the key sign
Ezekiel describes a vision in regards to the last days. He saw a valley full of old decaying
bones. As Ezekiel was watching, the
bones began to be put back together into skeletons. The ankle bone connected to the foot bone …
And then flesh and skin began forming on the skeletons. Finally, God breathed on these dead people
and they became alive again and became a great army.
(Ezekiel 37:11–14 NKJV) —11 Then He said
to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say,
‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ 12 Therefore
prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God:
“Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from
your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 13 Then you
shall know that I am the Lord,
when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your
graves. 14 I will put
My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land.
Then you shall know that I, the Lord,
have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’ ”
The context of this passage is in the last days.
I could end my message here and we would have covered enough.
If you aren’t convinced we are in the last days by the other things I will
bring up today, don’t miss this one thing.
There has never been a nation in history that has ceased to exist, and then
reappeared two thousand years later.
Israel is the chief sign to us that we are in the last days.
When Jesus was talking about the
signs of His coming, He talked about many things that presumed there would be a
nation of Israel, things like a Temple existing in the end times. Then He said,
(Matthew 24:32–34 NKJV) —32 “Now learn
this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and
puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is
near—at the doors! 34 Assuredly,
I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things
take place.
We are the generation that has been
seeing these things take place.
If you read some of the old Bible commentaries written prior to 1948, you
will find that many were confused about the events of the last days because
they didn’t understand that there would be a nation of Israel once again.
Even today, some church
denominations cling to ideas about the last days based on the notion that it
was the church that inherited the promises of Israel, and that God was finished
with the Jews.
Nonsense.
Paul wrote about his Jewish people,
(Romans 11:28–29
NKJV) —28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but
concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29 For the
gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
God is not done with the Jews.
On May 14, 1948, God made it clear that He wasn’t finished with Israel.
(2) Fear
(Luke 21:25–28 NKJV) —25 “And there
will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth
distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men’s hearts
failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on
the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they
will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when
these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your
redemption draws near.”
We’ve seen some signs in the sun, moon, and stars this year, but I want to
focus for a minute on what Jesus said about fear.
I believe that the rise of international terrorism has caused more than a
few hearts to fail for fear.
Last November it was an event in Paris.
Then in early December, it happened a little closer to home.
How many of you are afraid that there will be another terror attack on U.S.
soil?
The terrorists want you to be afraid.
Instead of being terrified, perhaps we should learn to “look up”.
(3) Persecution
Jesus said,
(Matthew 24:9 NKJV)
“Then
they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by
all nations for My name’s sake.
Though Christians have always been persecuted in various places over the
centuries, it seems that it’s on the rise and it’s even getting close to home.
In June, it was a lone gunman who walked into Emanuel African Methodist
Episcopal Church in Charleston and participated for an hour in their midweek
Bible Study before he opened up and killed nine people including the senior
pastor.
Last October we heard about something happening up in Oregon.
Caleb shared last week about the amount of persecution that the Christians
in Nigeria experience on a daily basis.
Pastor Saeed Abedini and others like him around
the world continue in prison for their faith.
John’s revelation talks about what will happen after the coming time known
as the “Tribulation”, when the antichrist will rule the world for seven years.
(Revelation 20:4
NKJV) And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed
to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their
witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or
his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their
hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Until the last several years, it seemed unthinkable that people would be
beheaded in these modern times.
Isis has changed all that.
It seems that one of their trademarks of Isis is how they
behead their captives.
Other Muslim groups are also now practicing this as well.
Last
week I found an article about how different Muslim groups are beheading
each other.
(4) Europe
Big things are happening in Europe between the flood of refugees coming in
from Syria and the terrorist attacks.
I’d like to say more, but to simply remind you that the antichrist will
come from a united Europe. (Dan. 9:26-27)
(Daniel 9:26–27 NKJV) —26 “And after
the sixty-two weeks Messiah
shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the
people of the prince who is to come Shall
destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of
it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are
determined. 27 Then he shall confirm
a covenant with many for one week; But in the
middle of the week He shall
bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the
wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even
until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.”
(5) Iran
The Bible talks about a great battle that will take place in the land of
Israel in the last days, and we believe this battle will take place prior to
the Tribulation period, prior to Armageddon.
Ezekiel is the one that tells us of the battle of Gog and Magog. You can find the battle laid out in Ezekiel
38-39. Ezekiel even tells us who the
major players are in this invasion of Israel.
We’ll talk about the land of Magog in a minute.
Some of the other players are:
(Ezekiel 38:5 NKJV)
Persia,
Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet;
Persia is the ancient name of the modern nation of Iran.
Ancient Ethiopia is actually more equivalent to modern
Egypt than modern Ethiopia. Libya (or,
“Cush”) is the same as today.
Iran will be one of the lead nations in this battle that
takes place in Israel.
Just
last week, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addressed more than 300 Muslim
scholars and government officials telling them that Islam had to unite to
destroy Israel.
Our nation has headed up a treaty with Iran that allows them to continue
their “peaceful” nuclear program.
They are about to receive a release of 100 billion dollars
that has been withheld through sanctions.
Ezekiel tells us that when this invasion occurs, there will be some nations
sitting on the sidelines criticizing but not involving themselves in the
battle.
(Ezekiel 38:13 NKJV)
Sheba,
Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish,
and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have
you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take
away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’
Sheba and Dedan are in the Arabian
peninsula.
Tarshish is thought to either be Spain, or even
possibly Great Britain.
It has been suggested that the “young lions” might be a
vague reference to the United States.
And all we will do is sit on the sidelines.
It sounds a little bit to me like the current deal that we
have made with the nation of Iran, allowing them to continue their “peaceful”
nuclear program.
The U.S. has threatened to add new sanctions to Iran because they test
fired a new missile near a U.S. ship.
Iran has decided to respond by promising to build more missiles.
(6) Russia
At the beginning of Ezekiel’s prophecy was a list of other names:
(Ezekiel 38:2–3
NKJV) —2 “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the
prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy
against him, 3 and say,
‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold,
I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech,
and Tubal.
“Gog” is the God’s name for the leader of this alliance, and he is from the
land of “Magog”.
We believe that Magog, and the other names listed best seem to align with
modern Russia.
Some have suggested that “Meshech” might even be
related to “Moscow”, and “Rosh” to “Russia”.
Even though Russia is aligned with Iran at the moment, Russia is not
hostile to Israel for now.
But God says,
(Ezekiel 38:4 NKJV)
I
will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your
army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with
bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords.
Leading Russia into a war with Israel will require a “hook” in the jaw of
Russia. There will be some sort of
initial reluctance.
I wonder if the current civil war in Syria (right next door to Israel) might
become that “hook”.
What’s going on in Syria is not a simple war. There are many sides and many different
players in the battle.
Russia has entered the war
initially claiming that they were going to deal with Isis, but they made it
their first priority to deal with the Syrian moderates who have been fighting
against Syrian President Ashar Bashad.
Russia has had a
long standing relationship with Bashad and wants to
keep him in power, even though he has been known to do some horrible things to
his people.
There are quite a few nations and
coalitions that are fighting in Syria at the moment, and they are not all
fighting for the same reasons. It’s not
a simple two-sided battle.
A few weeks ago, Turkey shot down a Russian war plane claiming that the
Russian plane crossed into its territory.
For a while some of us were holding our breath since Turkey is a part of
NATO, and we wondered if a world war might break out if Russia decided to
retaliate.
Russia has decided to retaliate with economic sanctions
against Turkey, a former ally.
Could a similar situation be the kind of “hook” that might draw Russia into
a battle that involves Israel?
For those of you who have never read Ezekiel 38-39, I’ll tell you how the
war ends.
God wins. God steps in and wipes out the armies that have come to invade
Israel.
The battle almost sounds like a nuclear war.
For those of you who have been a little afraid to travel to Israel, it’s
really the safest place on the planet right now.
Yes, they have their terrorist attacks like we do, but I’d be more scared
walking the streets of Chicago than the streets of Jerusalem.
The passage ends with:
(Ezekiel 39:29 NKJV) And I will
not hide My face from them anymore; for I shall have poured out My Spirit on
the house of Israel,’ says the Lord God.”
I wonder if God’s pouring out His
Spirit on Israel is related to the removal of the church in the Rapture.
Paul talks about something
“hindering” the coming of the antichrist being “taken out of the way”.
(2 Thessalonians 2:7 NKJV) For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who
now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.
We have long
wondered if that might not be the work of the Spirit in the Church.
Could it be that
the rapture of the church might be tied to the end of this Magog war, when God
once again pours out His Spirit on Israel?
(7) Morality
(Matthew 24:12 NKJV)
And
because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
The legalization of gay marriage used to just be about Massachusetts and
California, but now it’s the entire nation.
Gay marriage is not the end of the world.
It’s just one of many things that show us we’ve lost our moral compass.
Did you know it used to be illegal to have an affair? Did you know that divorce used to be quite
rare?
Jesus tied His return to the days of Noah and the days of Sodom.
(Luke 17:28–30
NKJV) —28 Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank,
they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 but on the
day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and
destroyed them all. 30 Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
We tend to think that the only thing that Sodom was guilty of was
homosexuality, but that was only the result of another kind of sin.
(Ezekiel 16:49–50
NKJV) —49 Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her
daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did
she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. 50 And they were haughty and committed
abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I
saw fit.
That sounds a lot like today.
Some people used to think that the destruction of Sodom was something as
believable as a fairy tale.
Last month we visited what it now being thought to be the site of ancient
Sodom.
It’s just northeast of the Dead Sea in the nation of Jordan.
There’s not much there now except a large mound of dirt.
Dr. Steven Collins was the first to publish a paper of his excavations at Tel
el-Hammam.
One of the strange things he found at the level dating back to the time of
Abraham. He found a strange substance
that he submitted to the Los Alamos Laboratory for analysis. They wanted to know where he found it, and he
said he would tell them after they told him what it was. They told him it was a substance known as Trinitite, something that is only found after a nuclear
explosion. It requires temperatures of
14,7000 degrees Fahrenheit to form.
Jesus said the last days would be similar to those of Sodom, people going
about their daily business in a wicked world when the end would come.
2Peter 3
(2 Peter 3:1–18 NKJV) —1 Beloved, I
now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your
pure minds by way of reminder), 2 that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by
the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and
Savior, 3 knowing this
first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own
lusts, 4 and saying,
“Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all
things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”
In the last days people will laugh at those of us
who continue to look for the Lord’s Second Coming.
They will say that people have been saying that He could come for thousands
of years, and nothing’s changed. He
hasn’t come.
Last year we pointed out that there were some interesting things happening
with the lunar eclipses, and yet nothing has happened. Yet.
They will say things have been the same since the beginning of time.
Coincidentally, that’s the premise of evolution – that nothing has changed –
and that’s why it must have taken millions of years for things to form.
5 For this
they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the
earth standing out of water and in the water, 6 by which the world that then
existed perished, being flooded with water.
People who say that nothing has changed have forgotten that there was a day
when God destroyed the world with a flood.
The earth’s geological layers that evolutionists claim took millions of
years could also be explained by a huge world wide
flood.
God destroyed the world once before, He could do it again.
7 But the
heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are
reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
God promised that He would not
destroy the earth again with a flood.
But the next time will be with
fire.
8 But, beloved,
do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a
thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
While we may think that God is taking too long to bring judgment, His sense
of time is not like ours.
9 The Lord is
not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is
longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should
come to repentance.
The only reason Jesus has not yet come back to judge the earth is because
God is patient and longs for people to repent and find salvation.
If Jesus had come back in the Yom Kippur war of 1973, how many of us would
have been saved?
10 But the day
of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass
away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the
earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore,
since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought
you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of
which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt
with fervent heat?
The world around us will one day be gone.
A friend posted this on Facebook a few days ago:
“Prosperity knits a man to the world. He feels that he is finding his place
in it, while really it is finding its place in him." ~ C.S. Lewis
Be careful friends if you are getting too closely woven into the fabric of
this world.
One day it will be gone.
Our goals in life should not be “comfort” in this world, but “holy conduct”
and “godliness”.
Can we “hasten” His coming?
I think we can.
I think its tied to how many people
God is hoping will be saved.
(Romans 11:25–26 NKJV) —25 For I do
not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you
should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to
Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
The Second Coming is tied to the
salvation of Israel, and that won’t happen until the “fullness of the Gentiles”
has happened.
13 Nevertheless
we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which
righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to
be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15 and consider
that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation
God’s patience is salvation because more people have a chance to be saved.
—as
also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has
written to you, 16
as
also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some
things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to
their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. 17 You
therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also
fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; 18 but grow in
the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be
the glory both now and forever. Amen.
Are you looking for some good “resolutions” to make for the coming
year? Here’s a great list to consider:
Holy conduct and godliness (vs. 11)
Be in “peace” (vs. 14)
Be spotless and blameless (vs. 14)
Be steadfast, stable in your walk with the Lord (vs. 17)
Grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus (vs. 18)
Jesus told us,
(Luke 21:28 NKJV) Now when
these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your
redemption draws near.”
As these signs of the times continue to pop up before our eyes, you might
become tempted to run away and hide instead of “looking up”
God’s desire is for us to learn to have courage in these last days.
One of the ways we can build “courage” is to “en-courage”
one another.
(Hebrews 3:12–13
NASB95) —12 Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil,
unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. 13 But
encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called
“Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.